We’ve got our usual great selection of music and theater around the area, but why not try your hand at pickleball, learn the art of mindful meditation, swap some records or take a peek inside some artists’ studios?
ART
Visit some of our area’s artists this weekend with the second annual Greater Wheeling Artist Studio Tour. Working artists will open their studios to offer the public a glimpse of how art is made. The event is a self-directed driving tour, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 28. Fifteen artists, writers and craftsmen are featured at 11 stops. Tickets are available for purchase from participating artists or from these local area arts businesses: Later Gator, Cats Paw, Etc. Gallery and Wheeling Artisan Center.
MINDFULNESS GAMES
Adventures in Mindfulness, a weekend-long mindfulness journey at Oglebay’s Wilson Lodge will feature acclaimed experts Cory Muscara and David Creswell, who have garnered national attention through The Dr. Oz Show, The Today Show and more. The event begins Friday, April 27, with a reception on the West Spa patio where guests can enjoy the sunset while mingling with fellow adventurers and the mindfulness experts who will teach how to recharge and refocus your energies with small lifestyle enhancements that will make a big impact on your everyday life. The weekend continues Saturday and Sunday with workshops, yoga and more. www.oglebay.com/adventures-in-mindfulness
PICKLEBALL!
The Wheeling YMCA, 55 Lounez Avenue, is holding a free pickleball clinic, from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, April 28. Come learn the game that is the fastest growing sport in America! All game gear provided. Gym shoes required. Free. Open to those 12 and older. 304-650-6900; wheelingymca.org
HOW ABOUT SOME HISTORY?
Ohio Valley History on the Big Screen! Do you want to learn more about the time that Robert E. Lee helped save Mt. DeChantal? Or how one nun’s courage and work ethic saved thousands of men on both sides of the Civil War? Or about how a WWI flying ace has been immortalized, along with the state of West Virginia, at Westminster Abbey? Then plan a visit to the Ohio County Public Library at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 29, to watch 13 digital stories about Ohio Valley history created by students from California University of Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. Free and open to the public.
West Virginia Independence Hall, 1528 Market St., Wheeling, will host a contemporary version of a trial against abolitionist John Brown at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 28. The event is free and open to the public. Can the results from a trial 158 years ago stand the test of time? On Oct. 26, 1859, an indictment charging Brown with murder, treason against the Commonwealth of Virginia and conspiring slaves to rebel, was read to the court. Following eight days of arguments and testimony in a packed courtroom, he was found guilty and sentenced to hang on Dec. 2, 1859. Brown’s trial will be reconstructed with a contemporary jury inside West Virginia Independence Hall’s courtroom. 304-238-1300
ON THE RECORD
Attention all vinyl lovers and collectors! Nail City Record will host its monthly record swap day, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday, April 28. Gather up a stack of the records you are willing to trade, and bring them down to the shop, at 2200 Naitonal Road, Wheeling, where you will find a group of like-minded individuals who also have records to trade. nailcityrecord.com
THEATER
“Sesame Street Live! Let’s Party!” is set for Thursday, April 26, at WesBanco Arena. Jump to the beat with your friends on Sesame Street in an all-new, interactive show that unfolds on one of the world’s most famous streets at the funniest, furriest party in the neighborhood. Shows are set for 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. www.wesbancoarena.com
The Cameron High School Dragon Players will perform their 2018 production of Louise Bryant’s “The Game,” opening at 7 p.m. Friday, April 27, and continuing at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 28, and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 29. “The Game” tells the story of a gamble played between sisters Life and Death. In this one-act play, Life is trying to bargain with Death, who is scheduled to take two of Life’s best prospects. A morality play that teaches about the reality of Life, Death and Time, “The Game” is sure to make attendees think, feel and reconsider what it means to live or to die. For more information, call 304-686-3336 or send an email to whealy@k12.wv.us
MUSIC
Skyflight Productions presents an evening with Freddy & Francine on Thursday, April 26, at the Albert S. George Youth Center at Barnesville Memorial Park in Barnesville. Freddy & Francine is an Americana-soul duo comprised of Bianca Caruso and Lee Ferris. With voices reminiscent of Aretha Franklin and Van Morrison, their songs blend soul, R&B, folk and Americana with a modern, yet timeless appeal to all ages. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; the show begins at 8 p.m. $10. 423-276-2653; Skyflight Productions on Facebook.
ONE a celebration of U2 will perform U2 favorites, 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 27, at Wheeling Island Hotel Casino. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster or the Wheeling Island Gift Shop. www.wheelingisland.com/promos-events/one-a-tribute-to-u2
West Liberty University’s professor of piano Dr. Gerald Lee will perform at 8 p.m., Saturday, April 28, at Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center. He will play masterwork sonata by Franz Schubert, a suite of dances by Argentine composer, Alberto Ginastera, and a suite of colorful pieces by Impressionistic composer, Claude Debussy, depicting such topics as Asian pagodas, the exotic sounds of night in the Spanish city of Granada, as well as beautiful gardens under the fall of rain. 304-242-7700; oionline.com
Alecia Nugent, “Hillbilly Goddess,” with Crandall Creek will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 28, at the Strand Theatre, Moundsville. Proceeds to benefit Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. Tickets will be sold at the door. 304-281-5776.
It’s Rock Roll and Doo Wop, 7 p.m., Saturday, April 28, at The Capitol Theatre. Featured artists are the Lovin Spoonful, the Marvelettes, the Vogues, the Capris, and Jimmy Ross & the Jaggerz. The ballroom bar opens at 5 p.m. for dinner and drinks. www.capitoltheatrewheeling.com
Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, and the Diamante Trio will visit Lunch With Books at noon Tuesday, May 1, at the Ohio County Public Library, to get everyone into the Latin American spirit. Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra and Westmoreland Symphony musicians form this ensemble that features all styles of music from Latin America. Tangos from Argentina by Carlos Gardel, Astor Piazzolla and others will have the audience tapping their toes and ready to get up and dance. Diamante Trio, comprised of musicians Mary Beth Malek (clarinet), Paula Tuttle (cello) and Devin Arrington (violin), is joined by soprano Lilly Abreu to create a nimble ensemble that showcases the music of Latin America and other ethnic and world styles. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Attendees are welcome to bring a bag lunch and complimentary beverages are provided. 304-232-0244; www.ohiocountylibrary.org
WINE & BEER
Good Mansion Wines features wines from the Alps at 6 p.m., Friday, April 27. These wines are refined and finessed, from high elevation growing that produces grapes of suave and delicate fruit, often with strong structure. Take a tour of Swiss Pinot Noir, Valdaostan Fumin and Torrette, the powerful, raisinated Sfursat of the Valtellina and white wines from Savoy. Wines will be served with Alpine cheeses and French baguettes. $15 at the door, no reservations needed. www.goodmansionwines.com
Art & Ale: beer tasting and live art demonstration, is set for 6:30 p.m., Friday, April 27, at the Stifel Fine Arts Center. Sample craft beers paired with delicious food while watching a live art demonstration as you sip. $30/$26 OI members. 304-242-7700; www.oionline.com